U.S. patent number 7,416,442 [Application Number 11/889,690] was granted by the patent office on 2008-08-26 for connector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Lankom Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Lu-Ta Liu.
United States Patent |
7,416,442 |
Liu |
August 26, 2008 |
Connector
Abstract
A connector has a combination of a terminal set and a back cover
together disposed inside a shell, where the shell and the back
cover are further covered by a metal mask. The terminal set
consists of at least one connecting port. The connecting port
includes a circuit board and a hollow pin base disposed on the
circuit board. The front side wall of the pin base is formed with a
grating part so that the hollow part of the pin base has a larger
space to accommodate electronic devices. A ground window is formed
on the back cover so that the ground node of the circuit board is
directly exposed. The metal mask is thus directly in touch with the
ground node to simply the assembly process of the connector.
Inventors: |
Liu; Lu-Ta (Taipei,
TW) |
Assignee: |
Lankom Electronics Co., Ltd.
(Taipei, TW)
|
Family
ID: |
39711195 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/889,690 |
Filed: |
August 15, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/540.1;
439/620.19; 439/620.18 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
24/64 (20130101); H01R 13/659 (20130101); H01R
12/712 (20130101); H01R 13/6594 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/60 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;439/540.1,490,607,608,620.18,620.19,676 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Dinh; Phuong K
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bacon & Thomas, PLLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A connector comprising: a terminal set comprising at least one
connecting port having a circuit board with electronic devices
mounted on the circuit board; a terminal base connected to the
circuit board and penetrated through by multiple signal terminals
connected to the circuit board; and a pin base being a hollow,
rectangular, closed body mounted on the circuit board, penetrated
through by multiple pins and having a front side; and a sheet body
protruding from the front side of the body to form a grating
structure corresponding to the signal terminals; a back cover
attached to the terminal set and comprising a bottom board having a
back edge; a back board extending vertically from the back edge of
the bottom board; multiple ground windows defined through the
bottom board and the back board and located at a junction where the
bottom board and the back board are jointed together; and multiple
holes defined through the bottom board for the pins of the terminal
set to extend through the back cover; an outer shell assembled with
the terminal set and the back cover and comprising a top board with
two opposite edges; a front board having at least one opening
corresponding to the at least one connecting ports; and two side
boards connected to the front board and the opposite edges of the
top board, wherein the terminal set and the back cover are combined
and accommodated inside the outer shell; and a metal mask covering
the outer shell and the back board of the back cover, and having
multiple ground conductive pins to electrically contact with ground
nodes on the circuit board through the ground windows.
2. The connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit board
of the connecting port comprises a rectangular substrate having a
front edge; a connecting part extending from the front edge of a
rectangular substrate and having two opposite sides; two notches
formed respectively on the two opposite sides of the connecting
part; and the terminal base having two opposite sides on which two
hook arms are formed respectively for engaging the notches of the
connecting part.
3. The connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the circuit board
further comprises positioning holes, hook holes and pin holes
defined through the rectangular substrate; the body of the pin base
extends two hooks and positioning posts to correspond to the hook
holes and the positioning posts; and the pins of the pin base
penetrating through the pin holes of the circuit board.
4. The connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bottom board of
the back cover is formed with multiple recesses for receiving the
positioning posts on the circuit board.
5. The connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein an upper edge of
the back board is formed with a supporting block and an inner
surface of the top board of the outer shell is formed with a frame
part to correspondingly support the supporting block.
6. The connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein an front edge of
the bottom board of the back cover extends a platform part, both
sides of the platform part are formed with a circular hole and the
front side of the platform forms a protruding edge, and a bottom
surface of the terminal base is formed with protruding blocks
corresponding to the circular holes.
7. The connector as claimed in claim 6, wherein the terminal set
further includes LED indicators disposed on an LED substrate and
the LED indicators are disposed on both sides of the connecting
port.
8. The connector as claimed in claim 7, wherein both sides of the
back cover are formed with a sliding rib, both sides of the
terminal base are formed with a protruding rib, both sides of the
LED substrate are formed with a side strip, and the outer shell is
formed with grooves and recesses for holding the sliding ribs, the
protruding ribs and the side strips.
9. The connector as claimed in claim 6, wherein the outer shell is
formed with a ladder part corresponding to the protruding edge.
10. The connector as claimed in claim 6, wherein the ground
conductive plates of the metal mask are connected to the ground
nodes on the circuit board by soldering.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector and particularly to the RJ45
and RJ11 connectors.
2. Description of Related Art
The manufacturing technology of electrical connectors has been very
mature. There is very limited space to improve, in either their
structures or circuits, due to the required specifications of
various connectors. Under the specifications, each electrical
connector has a specific size. However, a certain amount of
electronic devices are needed in a space, how to efficiently make
use of the space to accommodate more and larger electronic devices
is an important issue of the field.
The outermost layer of normal electrical connectors is usually
provided with a metal mask. The metal mask is connected to the
ground of the circuit board associated with the connector to
provide required shielding. Such shielding prevents or lowers the
interference from electromagnetic waves or other noises, ensuring
better quality in the transmitted signals. However, the method of
grounding the metal mask in the prior art is rather involved. One
or several hidden wires are connected to the metal mask. The other
end(s) of the hidden wire(s) is (are) then connected to a ground
node on the circuit board mounted inside the connector. The wire(s)
is (are) hidden under the metal mask. The process for preparing
such wires is very time-consuming and complicated, whether using an
automatic machine or manually. Therefore, it is necessary to
improve for a better efficiency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the facts that the limited internal space of connectors
restrict the number and size of electronic devices therein and that
the grounding process of the metal mask is involved and
time-consuming, the invention provides a solution.
The disclosed connector includes a terminal set, a back cover, an
outer shell, and a metal mask.
The terminal set includes at least one connecting port having a
terminal base with several signal terminals, a pin base with
several pins, and a circuit board with several electronic devices
thereon. The pin base is disposed on the circuit board and consists
of a hollow, rectangular, closed body. A sheet body protrudes from
the front side of the body to form a grating part corresponding to
the signal terminals. The signal terminals and the pins are
connected to the circuit board.
The back cover includes a bottom board and a back board extended
vertically upward from the back edge of the bottom board. The
connecting side of the bottom board and the back board is formed
with several ground windows. Several holes are formed on the bottom
board for the pins of the terminal set to go through.
The outer shell includes a front board, a top board, and two side
boards connecting the corresponding sides of the top board and the
front board. The front board is formed with several openings
corresponding to the connecting ports. The terminal set and the
back cover are combined side the outer shell.
The metal mask covers the outer shell surface and the back board of
the back cover. In particular, the metal mask is formed with
several ground conductive plates that are in touch with the ground
node of the circuit board via the ground windows.
By forming the grating part on the front side of the pin base,
there is more room inside the pin base for accommodating more
electronic devices. Moreover, the ground conductive plates of the
metal mask are in electrical contact with the ground node of the
circuit board via the ground windows, the metal mask can be readily
connected to the ground by simple soldering. The assembly of the
connector becomes much faster.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a connector in accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a single connecting port of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the terminal base of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the assembled terminal set and back
cover of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the terminal set and the back cover
assembled together;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the combined terminal set and back
cover separated from the outer shell;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the connector;
FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the connector;
FIG. 9 is yet another perspective view of the connector; and
FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the circuit inside the
connector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIG. 1, the connector includes a terminal set 10, a
back cover 30, an outer shell 50 made of an insulating material,
and a metal mask 70. The structures of the components and their
assembly are described in detail as follows.
First, the terminal set 10 consists of at least one connecting port
11. In this embodiment, there are four connecting ports 11 disposed
in a line. The detailed structure of each connecting port 11 is
given in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each connecting port 11 includes a terminal
base 12, multiple signal terminals 13 penetrating through the
terminal base 12, a circuit board 14 and a pin base 15.
The circuit board 14 has a rectangular substrate with a front edge
from which a connecting part 141 protrudes. Each of the opposite
sides of the connecting part 141 is formed with a notch 142. The
circuit board 14 is formed with positioning holes 143, hook holes
144 and pin holes 145 through the circuit board 14.
The terminal base 12 is formed with a row of through holes so that
the horizontal part of each signal terminal 13 can be inserted
therein. A hook arm 121 extends from each side of the terminal base
12. The two hook arms 121 hold the notches 142 on the connecting
part 141 of the circuit board 14. After the terminal base 12 is
combined with the circuit board 14, the signal terminals 13 touch
against corresponding nodes (not shown) formed on the bottom
surface of the circuit board 14. The signal terminals 13 are
further electrically connected to the circuit board 14 by
soldering. Moreover, a longitudinal rib 122 protrudes from each of
the opposite sides of the terminal base 12. A protruding block 123
is formed on the bottom surface of the terminal base 12 near the
two opposite sides.
The pin base 15 is a closed rectangular body. The inside of the
rectangular body forms an accommodating space for electronic
devices such as the transformer, filter capacitor, resistor, etc.
The above-mentioned electronic devices are connected to the top
surface of the circuit board 14. A hook 151 is formed on each of
two opposite side walls of the accommodating space. The pin base 15
allows multiple pins 152 to extend through and be fixed thereon. A
sheet body with an appropriate thickness protrudes from the front
side surface of the pin base 15. The sheet body forms a grating
structure 153 having several slits. Two positioning posts 154 are
further extended from the bottom surface of the pin base 15.
After the pin base 15 combines the terminal base 12 and the circuit
board 14, the signal terminals 13 extend through the slits of the
grating structure 153 respectively. The two hooks 151 extend
through the hook holes 144 and touch against the bottom surface of
the circuit board 14. The two positioning posts 154 are inserted
correspondingly into the positioning holes 143 to ensure the
correct connection. The pins 152 on the pin base 15 are connected
to the circuit board 14. Some of the pins 152 even go through the
circuit board 14 for a possible connection to an application
circuit board (e.g., the motherboard in a computer).
With further reference to FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, after several
connecting ports 11 are disposed in a line and connected to form
the terminal set 10, an LED indicator 20 is provided between each
two adjacent connecting ports. Only one LED indicator 20 is
provided on both sides of the terminal set 10. The LED indicators
20 are fixed on an LED substrate 21, which has a side strip 22
formed on one side of the LED substrate 21. The terminal set 10 and
the LED indicators 20 are further mounted to the back cover 30. The
back cover 30 includes a bottom board 31 and a back board
vertically extended from a back edge of the bottom board 31. Each
of the two sides of the bottom board 31 is formed with a sliding
rib 310. A connecting junction where the bottom board 31 and the
back board 32 join together is formed with several ground windows
311 separated at equal distances. Each ground window 311 is defined
through both the back board 32 and the bottom board 31.
The bottom board 31 is formed with multiple holes 312 corresponding
to the pins 152 for them to penetrate through the back cover 30.
Multiple concave bases 313 are formed on the bottom board 31
corresponding to the positioning posts 154. The concave bases 313
do not penetrate through the bottom board 31, but can accommodate
the positioning posts 154. Several platform parts 314 extend from a
front edge of the bottom board 31. Two ends of each platform part
314 are formed with two circular holes 315 respectively. After the
terminal set 10 is mounted to the back cover 30, the protruding
block 123 at the bottom of the terminal base 12 falls into the
circular hole 315 for positioning. The front end of the platform
part 314 further has a protruding edge 316. The upper edge of the
back board 32 is formed with multiple supporting blocks 321. A tiny
gap exists between each two adjacent supporting blocks 321. The
supporting blocks 321 extend horizontally toward the inside, i.e.,
the terminal set 10.
As shown in FIG. 6, after the terminal set 10 is mounted to the
back cover 30, the bottom surface of the circuit board 14 is
partially exposed through the ground windows 311. The exposed
bottom area of the circuit board 14 is used for the ground
connection of the metal mask 70. This will be further described
later.
The assembled terminal set 10 and the back cover 30 is disposed in
the outer shell 50. The outer shell 50 is made of insulating
plastic. The outer shell 50 includes a front board, a top board,
and two side boards connected to opposite sides of the top board.
The front board of the outer shell 50 is formed with several
openings corresponding to the connecting ports 11. A groove 51 is
formed on an inner surface of each side board for the sliding ribs
310 formed on both sides of the back cover 30 to slide therein,
thereby mounting the back cover 30 to the outer shell 50.
Afterwards, the supporting blocks 321 on the upper edge of the back
board 32 are located on a frame part 52 formed in the outer shell
50. The supporting force provided by the frame part 52 can avoid
vertical displacement of the back cover 30 and the outer shell
50.
Multiple recesses 53, 54 are formed on the sidewall of each opening
of the outer shell 50. The recesses 53, 54 are used for the
connection of the side strip 22 of the LED substrate 21 and the
protruding ribs 122 on both sides of the terminal base 12. A ladder
part 55 is formed on the bottom surface of each opening inward. The
ladder part 55 corresponds to each protruding edge 316.
With further reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, when the terminal set 10,
the back cover 30 and the outer shell 50 are assembled together,
the outermost surface is covered with the metal mask 70. The metal
mask 70 is a single metal sheet. The sheet can appropriately bent
to cover the front, top, left, and right sides of the outer shell
50, as well as the back board 32 of the back cover 30. The edge of
the region of the metal mask 70 that covers the back board 32 is
bent to form several ground conductive pins 71. The ground
conductive pins 71 are in touch with the ground nodes on the bottom
surface of the circuit board 14 via the ground windows 311. To
ensure good electrical contact between the ground conductive pins
71 and the ground nodes, a soldering process is employed to connect
them. Thus, the metal mask 70 can provide the necessary shielding
effect.
FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing the connection between the
electronic devices on the circuit board 14 and the signal terminals
13 and pins 152. Take an RJ45 connector as an example, there are
eight signal terminals 13. The eight signal terminals 13 are paired
to connect to one side of a first transformer. The other side of
the first transformer is connected with a second transformer. The
other side of the second transformer is connected with the
corresponding pins 152. The second transformer is first connected
with a resistor in series and then connected to a ground terminal
via a capacitor. The ground terminal is connected to the metal mask
70. The LED indicators 20 are serially connected with an external
current-limiting resistor on the circuit board 14 for protection.
They can also be the LED indicators 20 that have already been
integrated with the current-limiting resistor.
According to the above-mentioned structure and connection method,
the disclosed connector can have more space inside the pin base to
accommodate more active/passive electronic devices (e.g., filter
transformer, filter capacitor, etc). This is achieved by moving the
grating structure out to protrude from the front side of the pin
base. The back cover is formed with ground windows to directly
expose the ground nodes. The ground conductive plates on the metal
mask are in electrical contact with the ground nodes in order to
provide simple grounding of the metal mask. This does not involve
any complicated process or additional wire connections. The
connector assembling processes thus have superior efficiency.
* * * * *